Hannah
by LoZeldafreak
Summary: Theres the story of a young citygirl that comes to live in the country. The story of citygirl a who is friendly and kind and meets lots of people, including a cute guy that she just might be falling in love with. This isn't that story.
1. I wasn't born with a tail

Barely knew little of an exciting life. He was raised on a farm and had rarely traveled. He now resided in quiet Mineral town to live out the rest of his long life doing nothing but selling cow feed and enjoying the simple pleasures the world had to offer.

Barley lived alone with his only granddaughter, May. She was a shy little girl, but in Barley's eyes she was perfect in every way. She would wear a maroon dress and a necklace given to her by her parents. Her hair was a soft brown that would dance as she ran about the house with her best friend Stu. She would help him take care of the few cows that they owned, and his dog, Hannah.

Barley loved Hannah almost as much as May. He found her by the hot springs one morning several years before. She was quite scared, but she soon settled into a life with the old man. She was not a young dog, but one would not know it as she was energetic as a young pup.

She would keep Barley company most of the day when May was outside playing. On sunny afternoons, he would sit at his desk sipping his tea and waiting for customers, with Hannah playing around by his feet as he told her of things that went on in the village. He would tell her of his day, which was not very exciting, but as a dog Hannah could not object.

It was one such day that Barley was finally given his dose of excitement. May was outside taking care of the cows and Hannah was lying comfortably in her bed. "We have had such fine weather this month, haven't we?" He said as he looked down at her and stroked his long white beard. She gave him a blank look. He sighed. "Sometimes I wish that you were a human. That way, we could have a real conversation." He looked down at his cup of tea and noticed that it was empty. He got up and left to the kitchen to refill his glass.

When he returned to his desk, he looked around the room. It was always the same, the same paintings, the same shelves, the same girl sitting in Hannah's bed, the same dull curtains. Barley did a double take. There was girl sitting in Hannah's bed staring down at her hands and smiling happily.

Barley became very frightened. He was at a lost for words. But what does one say when there is a mysterious blonde haired girl wearing overalls in your house? Finally he spoke.

"Who are you?" he said nervously.

"I am Hannah. Well, that isn't actually my real name, but I have gotten kind of used to it," she replied.

"But you can't be Hannah. Hannah is a dog. Hannah can't talk. Hannah doesn't wear overalls."

Her eyes became very soft and understanding. "I am sure this must be very confusing for you."

Barley nodded slowly.

"Then let me explain. Several years ago, I came to Mineral Town to claim the farm that had once belonged to the old man Mike. When I got to the farm, I was quite pleased, though it wasn't in very good shape. "

"I decided to take a walk in the woods. I hadn't walked far when I found a beautiful spring. Then I remembered where I had seen this pond before. I had seen a picture of it in my _Tourist's Guide to Mineral town _and according to legend, the Harvest Goddess lives there and you are supposed to give her an offering every time you visit. I searched around and my eyes fell upon a flower. I picked it and threw it into the water, and sure enough the Harvest Goddess appeared."

"She thanked me for my offering and then told me I could have a wish. I thought about it and decided that it might be useful as a farmer to be able to talk to animals. I told her that was my wish, and then she asked me if there was any particular kind of animal that I wanted to be able to communicate with. The first thing that came into my mind was a dog, and so I said so."

The girl, or Hannah, walked into the kitchen, opened his fridge and took out a two liter bottle of Dr. Pepper. She took a large swallow and continued her story. "So anyways, the harvest goddess loves to play jokes on people. But what she did was no where near funny! Because I said I wanted to be able to talk to dogs, she turned me into one! Then she said 'see; now you have the ability to talk to dogs!' Which turned out to be a really crappy power."

"That's when you found me. I tried to run a way, but I realized I had no where to go. So I stayed. But now I am human again. Hooray!" She jumped up and down and clapped her hands.

Barely was still dumbfounded at the fact that Hannah was not a dog. She was a girl, a cute girl that likes to drink soda. He looked over at her as she was studying herself in a mirror.

"Hmm. My complexion seemed to hold out." She undid the top straps of her overalls so she could look at herself underneath. She was wearing a pink and orange plaid shirt with sleeves that went down to her elbows. "My figure actually looks better than before. I guess I got a lot of exercise as a dog."

Barley finally found words. "How did you turn back into a human?"

"You said that you wished that I was a human. Maybe that did it." Barley thought about this for a while, not quite sure if saying those words was a good idea, and then changed the subject.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. "I think I should go work on my farm that I can finally claim," she said as she re-buttoned her overalls.

"You can't do that. Jack lives there now. He must have been the next person in line for the farm."

"Well, then I will just go kick him out."

"You can't do that."

"Why not? I feel really pumped; I bet I could beat him up," she said casually.

"Dogs fights for territory, humans don't. You can't beat up Jack just to get his farm," Barely argued.

"Watch me." And with that, she ran out of the house towards Jack's farm.

This is by a wide margin the strangest idea I have ever had for a story. I don't know if I am going to continue with it or not. If I get a lot of good reviews, I probably will…;)


	2. It's my farm

_I know I only got three reviews on the first chapter, but I thought up the ending of the story so I have to continue now! Anyways, here it is. _

_Oh yeah, Mr. Unimportant wins a prize for guessing who Hannah is. I bet other people realized that I meant for her to be the Jill character, but he said so! _

_Okay, no more distractions. You can read it now. _

She was free. Finally free to do what she pleased. She didn't have to come when they called her, she didn't have to stay at home all day, and she didn't have a tail. Life was good. She could even go by her real name, though she had gotten used to Hannah. She decided to go by Emma, her name before she was turned into a dog.

Emma whistled happily as she ran down the brick road. She remembered where the farm was, just left of Barley's house. She felt so lively, like running all around the world and back. It must be because of being a dog for so long. After all, she was the all-time champ when it came to the annual Frisbee festival at beach day. Her mind was jolted out of her deep thoughts as she ran into a mailbox.

She looked up and rubbed her sore head. She was here at Morningside farm, the farm that would soon belong to her. Emma saw the farmer that had taken her place watering his crops. It was time to tell him off. As she confidently strode other to him, she realized how cute he was. His hair was hidden under a backwards blue base-ball cap. His eyes were kind and good natured and he smelled good. (She still had a strong sense of smell). He smiled at her, which caught her off guard, and she blushed and forgot for a moment why she was there.

"Hello. I haven't seen you before. My name is Jack." He held out his hand for her to shake, and she took it and shook it slowly. Then she remembered that she had come to get her farm back, and her shy expression changed.

"My name is Emma and you have something of mine."

"Oh, really? I would be happy to return it," he said cheerfully.

"You are using my farm, and I would like it back," she said somewhat forcefully.

"Um, are you sure?" he asked her, looking at her in a strange way.

"Yes. Mike meant to give the farm to me, but when I went to go get it, I"- She stopped. She didn't want to sound mental, and saying that she had turned into a dog was rather hard to believe. "I had to leave on urgent business and you happened to be his second choice if something happened to me."

"Why did the Mayor give the farm away if you just had to go on a trip?"

"Because the Mayor is a big fat idiot."

"Well, do you have any proof that this farm belongs to you?"

Emma thought for a moment. "No," she answered, her face saddened. Then she remembered the will. "The will! It would have my name on it."

"There are no more copies and the mayor lost the original."

"He is a big fat idiot," Emma muttered under her breathe angrily. "Well, then I have no choice but to use force. I am willing to fight for the farm." She raised her fist and stood in a fighting stance.

"I don't want to fight you."

"Well I want to fight you."

"I won't fight you," he said calmly. Emma threw a punch at Jack but he caught her fist. He grabbed her arms and held her tightly as she struggled to get free.

"My, you are feisty."

"You should see me on caffeine." And with that, she slammed foot down on his, making him release her. She began to run, but she tripped on a branch and fell to the ground allowing Jack to catch her again, despite his sore foot. He pinned her to the ground and held her arms tightly.

"I will let you go if you promise to #1, not try to hurt me and #2, let us talk about this in a calm and polite way."

Emma sighed. "Fine. I promise. Just get off of me!" Jack let her go and she arose and brushed away the dirt on her.

"Come, Emma." Emma reluctantly followed him into his small two-roomed house. Soon-to-be _her_ two-roomed house. She sat down in a wooden dining chair and waited for Jack to say something. Instead of speaking, he opened a cupboard and took out two cups which he filled with tea. He set the cups down on the table and sat down.

"So, what took you so long to get back from that business trip?" Jack asked. Emma thought quickly. She had always been a good liar and soon a false story came to mind.

"I hadn't told my parents that I was going to run a farm, and when they found out, they got very angry and said that they wanted me to do something better with my life. So I went to law school, and when my parents realized that I would never want to do anything as much as become a farmer, they eventually let me return."

"Why don't you open a new farm?"

"Because I am broke. I don't even have a place to stay or enough money to leave." Emma did in fact have a place to stay; she was sure Barley would let her stay with him, but maybe he would feel sorry for her and give her the farm.

"I would suggest staying at the inn, but it costs money." He thought for a moment, and then an idea popped into his head. "You could stay with me. I will even let you work on my farm for money."

Emma, who was in mid-sip, spit her tea out all over Jack's face. "What? That wasn't the answer I was expecting."

"Were you expecting me to feel sorry for you and give you the farm?" he asked as he wiped the tea off his face with a hanky he pulled out of his pocket.

Emma looked shyly down at her tea cup and blushed. He laughed and Emma looked up at him. "I can't just give you this farm. I am sure you deserve it and all, but I have spent four prosperous years here. I have five chickens, three cows, three sheep, a dog, and a horse. If I let you have the farm, what am I going to do with all of them?"

Emma didn't know how to answer this one. "I didn't think about-" Jack cut her off.

"Didn't think about me, did you? Part of life is thinking about other people. It's not always about you."

Now Emma felt bad. He was right. "Wait, no he wasn't," Emma thought to herself. "He is just trying to make me feel bad so I will go away. I am so not falling for that _Book of Virtues_ crap."

She looked up at Jack abruptly. "I will get my farm back from you. I don't know how and I don't know when. But I will," she said defiantly. "In the meantime, I will work for you, but I will find another place to stay."

Emma turned, and walked out the door.

_Jacks View_

She didn't buy it. I can't believe she didn't buy it. They always feel bad after a line like that. The _Book of Virtues _never fails! She has obviously read it before so the lines aren't as meaningful.

She really wants this farm. I don't know whether to believe her or not. I thought I was Mike's favorite! Her story could be true, but I still am not quite sure about it. After all, if everyone had the choice of whether to be a rich lawyer or a farmer, how many would choose farmer? I guess I'm not the only one…

She sure was cute, though. She seemed very independent and feisty, but I kind of find that attractive. If she wasn't trying to steal my farm, I think I would invite her to the Harvest Festival. Though I doubt she would say the same about me. She didn't want to ask me out; she wanted to beat me up!

That is it for now. I hope you liked it! Sorry if it took me for ever to update; I got the Sims 2 University a couple weeks ago and I have been kind of distracted. Oh well, I will try to do sooner updates!

Isn't Morningside the best farm name you ever heard for Harvest Moon? For those of you that have been to Camp Winaka, it may sound familiar.

Please Review!


	3. Cursed, or blessed?

_La la la. Here is the next chapter. And just to clear up confusion, when Emma is a dog, she will be called Hannah and when she is a human she will be called Emma. Also, Barley will call her Hannah in this chapter because she hasn't told him her real name._

Barley was just finishing his crossword puzzle as his door burst open and his dog, or his former dog, burst in.

"I think I hate that man."

"I am guessing it didn't go too well," Barley said putting down his crossword puzzle on his desk.

"I mean, he pins me to the ground, makes me come into his house, and pulls all this 'You should be more considerate of other people.' Who does he think he is, my Sunday school teacher?" Emma cried, oblivious to what Barley had just said.

"Well, you weren't being very considerate. And you were trying to beat him up, so I don't blame him for pinning you to the ground."

"Hey, whose side are you on?"

"I suppose yours; after all, you are my dog."

There was a slight silence as Emma sat down in a chair and began to sulk. "You should ask him out," Barley said, partly because he actually thought so and partly because he wanted to see Emma get angry. "You two would really make a cute couple."

Emma raised her head and Barley could see the effects of his words already. "Are you kidding? Ask him out? That sleaze who stole my farm? Not even if he gave me the whole farm. Well, _maybe _then."

Barley chuckled. "You know, there is more to life than material possessions."

Emma groaned. "You and that farmer are on a never ending quest to teach me moral values, aren't you?"

He continued his laughter. "You know, Hannah, I at first wondered if wishing that you were a human was a good idea, but now I am quite sure I like the real you." He smiled, and the girl smiled back, despite her previous temper.

"Thanks Barley. So does that mean that I can stay with you?" she asked hopefully.

Barley snapped out of the heartfelt moment when Emma's words processed in his brain. "Err…No. I don't know how I could afford to take care of both you and May."

"You could sell your stainless steel grill."

Barley frowned. "No. Though I could stop buying Dr. Pepper…"

Emma sighed in a defeated way. "Fine. I get the point. I won't stay here. I will find another place to stay that has even more soda. But mark my words, I'll be back."

He smiled. "Alright, I will buy another two liter."

Emma walked down the street lost in thought. What was she going to do? Where would she stay? Jack's words echoed in her mind. "You could stay with me." She shook her head to get rid of the thought. No way was she going to stay with _him_.

Why did life have to be so hard? This was all the stupid Harvest Goddess's fault. If she hadn't turned her into a dog, she would have the farm and she would be in her house drinking tea right now. Though, in her current state, maybe life would be better if she was still a dog. She closed her eyes and remembered how carefree her life was this morning. The only problem that ever entered her life was fleas. She slowly stopped and opened her eyes.

Everything seemed larger. Or maybe she felt shorter, it was hard to tell. She just knew that her head was feeling light and uneasy and her heart was pounding in her chest. Suddenly, thousands of different scents came rushing to her nose. She looked down at the ground and saw that she was standing on her own clothes instead of wearing them. Emma tried to scream, but all she could do was bark.

Emma grabbed her clothes in her mouth and ran back down the road to Barley's house. She began barking at the door in hopes that he would answer. Luckily, the old man opened the door and peered out.

"Who is it?" he said looking around.

Emma barked and Barley looked down to see a spotted dog.

"Hannah! What happened? You're a dog again!" The old man was getting flustered. He opened the door and she walked inside Barley's house. "What caused this? Oh, what's the use? You can't answer me any more."

Suddenly, Hannah's eyes widened and fur stuck up on end. She quickly darted behind a couch. Barley was about to investigate to see what was going on, but he stopped when he heard a shout.

"Go away! And get my clothes. I'm naked over here," Emma squealed.

Looking away, Barley grabbed her clothes and handed them to her, which she put on hurriedly. She then stood up and looked at Barley with an excited look. "Do you think I can turn into a dog, and then back into a human when ever I want?"

Barley didn't really know what to say, so he just said 'um'. Emma seemed to be lost in fantasies of all the marvelous things that she could do with her new power.

"Man, this is so COOL! I can be a dog, and then turn right back into a human whenever I want. I am so the luckiest person alive." Then Emma remembered her farm that was snatched away from her and her face fell. Barley noticed her sudden drop in mood and asked her what was wrong.

"I still don't have my farm, and I have no idea how to get it back."

"Well, I don't know. Maybe you should get a job and then buy a new farm."

"I actually did get a job." Emma said as she poured herself some tea that was sitting on Barley's desk.

"Really? Where?"

Emma answered in a mumble so quiet that if it was any quieter, no sound would be coming out at all. "What did you say?" Barley asked.

"I got a job with the stupid farmer, all right?" she said loudly at last. "Can we just drop the subject?"

"No. This is great, you get to work on the farm, make some money, and it gives you a perfect chance to ask Jack out." Barley chuckled.

Emma slammed her cup of tea down so hard that it smashed against the wooden table and tea splashed up onto her clothes leaving a brown stain. "I don't like him! He is stupid and ugly. Just 'cause I took his job offer does not mean I want to date him!" She crossed her arms and added, "It's not like I accepted his offer to stay at his house." Emma suddenly wished that she didn't say that last line and she looked at Barley nervously hoping he hadn't heard. He did.

"Well that settles it: you can go stay at Jack's."

"It doesn't settle it at all! I am not staying at Jack's. He smells."

"You smell like wet dog," Barley returned.

Barley's wooden door swung open and his granddaughter, May, entered the room with a smile. "I picked some flowers for you grandpa," she said as she dropped a handful of daisies on his desk. She noticed Emma sitting at a table with a broken tea cup in her hand and waved. "Hello, I'm May."

Emma waved back causing some of the broken pieces of glass that were resting on her arm to fall to the ground. Barley stood up and remembered that it was only polite to introduce May to the blonde haired girl sitting in one of their dining room chairs.

"May, this is my friend, um…" he was about to say Hannah, but that might seem a little strange. He didn't really want to explain to his granddaughter what went on while she was away.

"Emma," Emma finished for him. She and Barley exchanged glances and Barley continued his introductions. Suddenly, a devious grin stretched across his wrinkled face.

"Emma is from out of town and is staying with Jack." Emma gave a surprised look at this remark. She opened her mouth to speak, but May was first to say something.

"Oh, you must be having a wonderful time. Jack is so nice!" The shocked girl tried her best to put on a smile that suggested she was really enjoying this, but a look of 'why me?' seemed to seep through. Barley simply gave a smug smile at her and resumed working on his crossword puzzle that he had left on his desk.

Emma stood up and looked first at Barley and then at the smiling May. She didn't really know what she could do to get out of staying with the stupid farmer, so she simply waved good bye and began to make her way towards Morningside Farm, sulking the entire way.

Well, that was chapter three. I hope it will be enjoyed by many. Please review, even if you hated it! ( I want to know what I did wrong)

I will get the next chapter up ASAP.


	4. I Work For Jack

"Hello?" Another pounding of the door came. "Farmer, are you there?"

Jack opened his door and saw Emma with her fist up ready to knock again.

"Oh, hi," he said in a less than excited voice. "Do you need something?"

The girl crossed her arms and look away in an annoyed way. "I am just here to say that I will accept you invitation to stay at your house," she answered as though it pained her to say this.

"Okay. I was just making dinner now so you can just sit back for a few minutes and help me decide where you will sleep. He held the door open for her to enter his house, but Emma remained in her spot.

"Sit back? But it's only 5:37! There is still a lot of work that can be done before it gets too dark."

Jack seemed a little surprise that a girl would be declining an invitation for dinner to go work. "Um…_okay. _I guess you could get a start on that field while I finish up with dinner. There was a storm yesterday, so it's a real mess. Are you sure you want to? It's not easy work."

Emma nodded and shoved past Jack to get into his house. She looked around for a minute, until she found the tool chest underneath a mountain of cook books. She quickly gathered up everything she needed and ran out the door to begin the formidable task. Jack was still a little surprised. He shrugged and went back inside to finish with his soup that he had started about a half hour ago.

Unlike a lot of the men his age in Mineral Town, Jack enjoyed cooking. He loved to try new dishes and see how people react when they try his different recipes. Though he had yet to win the annual cooking festival, (Gourmet had something against him), people enjoyed his food. The soup that he was making now was a simple recipe of vegetable stew. What made it taste so good was a secret spice that he had been given years ago.

Jack hummed like he always did when he was cooking something he liked a lot. He could feel the steam float up and wash over his face. He was deeply relaxed and didn't notice what time it was until he began to smell a slight hint of burnt food in the air. Quickly, he turned off his stove and used his oven mitt to blow away some of the smoke that was now filling the room. This happened a lot when he made soup, he would get so lost in thought that he wouldn't notice that it was ready until it was too late. He sighed and went out side to get Emma for dinner.

Jack stepped outside and his mouth dropped open. Emma stood in the middle of a completely cleared field. There where no tree stumps, no weeds, no rocks. Every thing except his pasture for the live stock was gone.

He did a double take. How was this possible? How could one girl, one person, clear an entire field in about 20 minutes? Most people could have gotten a small portion done in that time, if that. Jack tried to ask how she could have possibly done such a task in such a short amount of time, but he seemed to be unable to speak.

"I am all done Jack. Watch where you're stepping, I don't want you to mess this up," she said. Jack looked down. In the ground the words 'property of Emma Murphy' had been written out with a stick.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Um…writing 'property of Emma Murphy' in the ground with that stick you're holding."

"Good job, Jack." She smiled, though it wasn't too warm.

What a little hoar, Jack thought to himself. Here he is giving her a place to stay _and_ a job, and she treats him like an idiot. Why did she hate him? No one else hated him; he was pretty much the most popular guy in town. He had already received an invite from every girl in town to go to next year's fire works festival with them, and this year's festival was three days ago. But for some reason Emma wanted him to curl up and die.

"You're not getting this farm," Jack said.

"Oh yeah?" Emma retorted as she tossed the stick aside.

Jack sighed. "We kind of got off on a bad start. Let's start over."

"Okay, fine. My name is Emma and you stole my farm. How's that?"

"That kind of defeats the purpose of this, but what ever. My name is Jack and I have a very strong willed girl working for me. I also have a big pot of stew that I would love to share with her." He smiled.

Emma couldn't help but smile back. She knew that she hated him, but she had to admit he did have a really cute smile. But it wasn't cute enough to forgive him for stealing her farm. Her smile faded and she became her usual contradicting self. She followed Jack into his house, trying her best to look annoyed.

"Well, I kind of forgot how long the soup needed to be cooked so it is a tad burnt," Jack warned Emma. He coughed uncomfortably as he fidgeted with his hat. Emma sat down in one of her chairs and served herself some soup. She took a spoonful and was about to taste it when she stopped and looked over at Jack. He was staring at her anxiously waiting for her try his creation. She scooted her chair away from him and continued eating.

She let the flavor settle in her mouth. It was incredible, and her face showed it. Jack beamed and it was obvious that there was no greater complement you could give this man.

Emma put her spoon down. "Jack, I not going to eat it if you keep at me like that."

"Oh, sorry." He tried to look away, but he kept looking back at her in an excited way.

Their dinner was painfully silent, and all one could her was the sound of their spoons hitting the bowl. Emma finally spoke.

"So, do you have a girl friend?"

Startled by this, Jack swallowed a carrot whole and began gagging unable to speak. His face turned red and his hand was a tight fist holding around his napkin. Emma stood up, her eyes wide with panic. "Ohmigosh," she kept yelling. Finally, Emma wrapped her arms around Jack's stomach and began to perform the Heimlich maneuver, though because she was so much smaller than him, it was rather difficult.

Emma continued to squeeze while Jack continued to gag, his face even redder than before. Eventually, the bit of carrot that had been lodged in his throat shot out of his mouth and landed back into the pot of stew with a small splash. Jack fell backwards and landed on top of Emma.

"Emma, you saved my life!"

"Don't mention it," she replied in an uncomfortable voice. "Just please get off me."

"The _barn?_" You actually want to sleep in the barn?"

"It may be a bit drafty, but I think it's quite cozy." Jack looked around. The barn was dark and cold and damp in some places. The closest thing to a bed was some hay laid out on the ground.

"Women..." he said under his breathe. "Well, do you at least want a matt to sleep on?"

"No, I will be fine. Quit worrying."

"Well, goodnight, and don't let the bed bugs bite. And I am serious; there are some massive ants in this barn."

"Good night" was all Emma said. Once Jack was gone, Emma changed for the night. She closed her eyes and imagined that she was a dog again, playing with May and sleeping all day. Sure enough, when she opened her eyes and looked down, she saw two small paws. If she wasn't so tired, she would have jumped about the barn in excitement that it worked, but she was already almost asleep. She curled up in the hay, and her eyes began to close, and her tail wagged contently.

Okay, I know this was a short boring chapter, but it was sort of a fill in. I will update soon, so please R&R!


	5. The Farm, the Mayor, and the mad dog

Hannah awoke to the sweet smell of porridge. She sat up, stretched, scratched behind her ears and thumped her tail hard against the ground in approval. Shaking off some of the hay that had landed on her over night, she trotted over to a barrel that had bowl of oat meal sprinkled with berries and a glass of orange juice placed artistically on top. There was also a small vase with a single rose in it and a note that she guessed was from Jack.

Somewhat surprised at the breakfast in bed, or hay rather, but too hungry to care for long, Hannah dived her wet nose into the bowl of porridge and began to eat as though she had not had a bite to eat in weeks. Remembering her manners, she stopped, bits of her breakfast clinging to her face. She tried to grasp the spoon that Jack had also laid on the barrel, but with no thumbs this was rather difficult. She sighed in an annoyed way. It was going to be impossible to get used to being both a dog and a human.

She hastily turned herself back into a human and splashed water on her face to get rid of any oat meal that was still on her cheeks. She was still in the nude, and she quickly searched around the barn for her clothes. Mumbling curse words under her breath, she continued to look until she heard the sound of the door opening.

Emma stopped dead in her tracks. She correctly assumed that it was Jack, who else could it be? What was he doing here, and where are her clothes? Jack, obviously having trouble opening the door, began to shake it vigorously until it finally came loose. But before he could even open enough to see in, Emma darted in front and held it closed with all her might.

"Emma?" Jacks voice called out. "Are you in there? I am here to give you back your clothes."

"You have them!" She screamed through the door. "Give them back you pervert!"

"What! No! You don't understand! I washed them; they were all lying on the ground in a pile of mud. You couldn't possibly have worn them like that!" Jack said, trying to defend himself. He was already on bad terms with this girl; now she was going to think he stole women's clothes so he could .

"Oh, let me rephrase. Give them back you exceedingly tidy pervert! She pushed the door slightly open and stuck out her arm through and snatched her clothes out of Jack's arms.

"I used Downy," Jack said quietly as Emma closed the door completely.

Jack just stood there sort of confused. What did he do wrong? Any normal person would appreciate having their clothes washed for them. But it seemed like Emma didn't fall into the normal category. She made up her own, Jack thought. There were the people his age living in the village, always ready to have a good time. There were the middle aged men and women who did most of the work and were always kind to everyone. And there were seniors, tired but worldly with age. Each of those could be broken down into more groups. Now off to the side of his mental diagram, was the category of Emma. It was still rather unknown; it was still difficult to describe. But she did not fall into categories like the other villagers- that he knew. But what made up 'Emma' he would just have to find out.

The barn door opened slowly, and Emma stepped outside, now wearing her clean clothes. "Are you ready to begin today's work?" Jack asked. Emma just ignored him and looked away indignantly.

Jack felt a little awkward, but continued as though she had answered. "Do you want to milk the cows or feed chickens?"

Emma remained silent and started walking to the barn where the cows were kept. Jack followed her. "You can't keep silent for ever! Emma, I am sorry I took your clothes with out permission. There, will you talk now?" She just crossed her arms and sighed in an annoyed way. She grabbed a stick lying conveniently close by and started writing in the dirt in front of her. Jack leaned forward and saw that she had written a big 'N O'. By the time he looked up, Emma was already inside the barn. Jack decided not to peruse her any more. Maybe all he needed to do was give her a taste of her own medicine…

"Great hot dogs, Barley."

"Oh thank you. It's all in the grill." The old man poured another cup of Dr. Pepper and passed the bottle to Emma. "And use a cup this time," he added.

Emma was sitting next to Barley outside his house, eating hot dogs, under the shade of a red and white striped umbrella. This is what life was about, she thought to her self contentedly. It was so nice: eating her lunch with a kind old man, drinking Dr. Pepper, being away from Jack. But Barley had to ruin it.

"You should have brought Jack with you," Barley stated with a smile. Emma just gave him a cold hard stare and took a large drink of soda out of the bottle.

"I have told you a million times not to do that!" Barley said, his smile fading.

"And I have told you a million times that I hate Jack. Besides, how are we going to discuss getting the farm back with him sitting right there, listening to every word of it?"

"Oh no, missy; I'm not going to be a part of this."

Emma shifted in her chair so she was facing Barley. She didn't say anything; she just stared at him, her eyes suddenly becoming huge and anime-styled. Her lower lip was trembling slightly. You don't have to be a puppy for the puppy face to work, but it helps. Barley just shifted around in his seat uncomfortably and finally looked down at the ground and muttered under his breath "Damn," causing May who was sitting nearby quietly to giggle.

"Oh, thank you! I will make it up to you, I promise. I could take care of May on my time off," Emma offered.

"Whatever. Now have you talked to the mayor yet?"

"You're right! All of this fault! I should go over there right now and beat the crap out of him for giving away my farm."

"That isn't exactly what I meant…"

"Thanks Barley, you rock!" Emma leaned over and hugged the old man. She then leaped up and dashed through the house, out the door, and onward to the Mayor's house. Barley sighed and rubbed his forehead to try and comfort himself. It did little.

"Open up!"

The mayor's door swung open and a cheerful, short, balding man dressed in a red suit stuck his out. "Who is it," he asked with a smile that instantly faded when he realized who it was and what her intentions were. His eyes grew wide and he slammed the door shut. "Sorry, I am not here at the moment, please leave a message after the beep. Beep."

"Why did you give away my farm!" Emma shouted angrily. He remained silent. "Answer!"

Finally, he spoke in a pleading voice. "I'm sorry Emma, but I had no choice! With you dead, I had to give the farm to Jack because he was next in line. Besides, once he is suddenly found dead, the farm will be mine!" There was an odd silence. "Err…never mind that now."

"But what about the will? The will could prove my ownership."

"It would, if I still had it. I lost it a while back, no idea what happened. So, too bad. Have a nice day, good bye now."

Emma kicked the door in frustration. Her foot fell through the dog door and she fell on the ground clumsily. Swearing, she pulled her foot out and stood up, brushing the dirt off her. She looked down and suddenly, her lips curled up in a devious smile.

"I love being Mayor of this town. I love my cushy job and my rolling chair…" the Mayor sung happily as he filed the papers on his desk. "And most of all I love not being beaten up by Emma because she is not dead," he continued.

The mayor heard a swishing noise and looked up from his papers. The dog door was opening slowly. He gripped his chair as a brown spotted dog stepped inside and began advancing toward him menacingly. He swallowed hard in fear and just as Hannah leaped onto his ankle, he cried out "mad dog! Mad dog on the loose! Aieeee! Help, help!" He ran out of the office, the dog gripping onto his shoe and tearing apart the bottom of his pants.

Emma let go. Her jaws released the mayor, though the frightened man continued to run away. If dogs could smile, now would be one such time. The dog sat down wagging her tail contentedly and watched the screaming mayor run up to people warning them of the vicious dog that was going to take over Mineral Town. Most of these terrified citizens just stared at him blankly, while others called the mental hospital on their cell phones.

Emma thought about the mayor's tune. She sang it in her mind with slightly different words. "I love being a dog. I love making people go crazy and I love my spotted fur." She thought for a moment and then continued. "And most of all, I love getting my farm back from Jack!" But how she was going to do this seemed to be a problem.

_Well, there you go. As always, please review. And if there is anything you want me to put in it, short of having Emma marry Kappa and/or Rick, just say so and I can see if I can work it in. Even if it means putting Jack in a dress I will try my best. Hey, I like that; I think I just found my new 'author's moddo'. _

_So, we clear? You review; I try to use your ideas. Okay, bye now. I must go play DDR._


	6. Do you like my bandanna?

A/N: Happy Halloween! Okay, a little late, but who cares! You all can read this while you pig out on your candy. Enjoy.

Jack took a break from his watering to stretch. He set down the watering can and stood up. He noticed Emma walk into the farm, concentrating very hard and looking frustrated. Despite her irritable mood, Jack couldn't help but smile. She was so pout-y, so cute with her freckles across her nose and her blue eyes deep in thought. He wanted to say hello to her, or better yet sneak up on her and surprise her, but knowing Emma he would probably wouldn't be feeling quite so healthy afterwards. He was about to pick up the watering can again when he looked up at Emma one last time. She was facing the barn sill trying to think of something and she had her arms folded across her chest.

"Ah, what the hell." And he got up.

"What am I supposed to do?" Emma cried to no one in particular. "How on Earth am I going to get rid of Jack, short of killing him?" Frustrated, she looked up at the sky as if a cloud passing above the farm would give her the answer. He loves it here- that is obvious. He would never leave; life is just too perfect for him. No one hates him, his has a prosperous farm, and he probably always wins all the festivals. There is nothing to burst his bubble. Unless-

"SURPRISE!"

Emma jumped in surprise then swerved around immediately to see Jack standing behind her smiling. Frowning, she took his hat and threw it into one of the horse's water troth. Jack just laughed.

"My, Emma, I had a perfect day going. I had a feeling you would be the one to burst my bubble," he said smiling as he fetched his hat and gave it a good squeeze to remove some of the water.

"You are way too happy," Emma said crossing her arms.

"You are way too unhappy," Jack said, his face suddenly inches away from her.

Emma thought for a moment and then asked, "What would make you unhappy?"

"Having no friends would ruin my life."

"Bingo," Emma said happily. And with that she ran off with a smile. Jack suddenly wished he hadn't answered that question.

-&-&-

Emma sat slumped against one of the barn walls. In her hands she held the one thing that might get rid of Jack: a list of torture. It had taken some time to complete this list, and she couldn't help but feel proud. If she finished everything on the list, Jack's life would be ruined and he would leave giving her the farm. It was so brilliantly simple.

Emma looked down at the list. The first thing was embarrass Jack in front of the entire population that makes up Mineral Town. Scribbled underneath were several ideas. With a smirk, Emma sat up and left the barn to visit the town square.

The large clock in Rose Square rang announcing it had just turned 12:00. Normally, Emma would be helping to take care of Jack's farm around now, but today was Saturday and Jack had given her the day off. Emma looked around. The square was full of people all standing around chatting underneath the shade of several trees that bordered the brick area. In one corner of the room was a board that had several messages posted on it. Smiling at finding what she wanted so quickly, Emma trotted over to the board and let her eyes glaze over it.

"Spring Festival this Wednesday at 6:00 pm!" a message announced.

"Perfect," Emma said to herself.

"Speaking of perfect, do you always look this good?"

Emma swung around, startled by the sudden interruption to her thoughts. Kai stood behind her smiling. She only knew his name because Jack had pointed out a few of his friends to her. This guy seemed almost as annoying as Jack, but in a different way. He was wearing a purple bandanna over his head, probably to cover up his horns, Emma thought.

"Oh, hello," she replied flatly. She then turned around and pretended he wasn't there.

"Hello to you too, baby." Emma turned her head and gave him a "what did you just say?" look. He simply winked. Then, eyeing Emma he said, "Like my bandanna?"

"What?" Emma asked. This was a "what" that wasn't asking him to speak louder, but a "what" of disbelief at what an idiot this guy was.

"I wear it cuz the chicks dig it. It's part of what makes me so sexy."

Rolling her eyes she faced the board once again and said in an annoyed voice, "Listen, pal. It's not cute. It's just annoying. So go bother some one else."

"Aw, come on, Emma. What's the matter?" he asked as he stepped between Emma and the message board. "Did you break up with Jack? Cause if you did, I am totally interested-"

"I did not break up with Jack because he is not my boyfriend, okay?" Emma cried raising her voice. "Now shut up or I will have to hurt you."

"Ooh, I like a girl with some spice."

Crying out in frustration, Emma grabbed his shirt and held his face up to hers. "Okay, buddy, I am going to count to three. If you are still talking I will seriously smash your skull against this trash can over here."

Kai held his hands up in defense. "Okay, baby. I won't talk." Emma let go and he fell on the ground.

"Good."

"After all," he said as he got up, "I am seriously feeling tired." He let out an obviously fake yawn and then, pretending to stretch, he put his arm around Emma's shoulders (you know the trick).

There was a silence for about four seconds as Emma looked over at him darkly. Finally, she said spoke in a very slow and intimidating voice. "Take it off, or I break it off."

He removed the arm.

Emma began walking away and was almost out of the square when Kai called out to her, "One more thing." She turned around and looked at him waiting for him to ask the bloody question. "Am I turning you on?"

-&-&-

Jack opened the can of dog food and set it on the counter as his door swung open and Emma stepped inside his kitchen. He smiled at her but, of course, she ignored it. "Hey," he called out to her.

"Hi," she said as she brushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"I am having guests over in a little while. You can eat with us or go out to for dinner. I am going to be cooking chili tonight."

"Where's your apron?"

Jack looked at her sort of confused then her realized she was making fun of him for cooking all the time. He said nothing; simply put his dog's food dish up on the counter.

The noise of people chatting could be heard and Jack put down the can and went outside to greet his guest. Emma, who was holding a piece of paper that she had scribbled the date for the festival on, set the scrap on the counter. She suddenly noticed the can of dog chow that Jack had opened and placed on the counter. She picked it up and looked at the can. It was the exact same kind Barley had given her when she was still a dog (Dog Chow Original was always her favorite). Looking over at the window to make sure Jack wasn't watching, she took a taste of the dog food. Gosh, she thought to herself, why don't people like this stuff? She looked up at the pot which was now sitting on the stove waiting for an ingredient, then at the can, and smiled.

After a couple minutes, the door burst open. It was Jack's friends, including Kai. Each guy greeted her with a "hey", or a "how ya' doing?"

"Have you met Emma yet?" Jack asked looking at each of his friends.

"Oh yeah!" Kai shouted.

"Well, for everyone else, this is Emma. She works for me on the farm and is staying with me for a while," he explained as he pushed Emma forward.

"Hello," she said with a small smile and eyes trying to not look towards Kai.

"I'm Gray, and this is Cliff and Kai," one of the men announced to Emma. He had blonde hair barely visible under his cap. Cliff had long hair pulled back into a pony tail and a strange, brown outfit on.

"Everyone, just find a seat and I'll get us some grub!" Jack said affably. He seemed to be a natural host. The three men, as well as Emma, either sat down on the couch or pulled up a chair next to it. Emma sat down on the couch and, unfortunately, Kai plopped down next to her.

"How is my little Senorita?" he said to Emma.

"I was doing a lot better before you showed up," she answered bluntly.

"I can't help myself Emma…whenever I see you I just go crazy."

Looking over at him she said, "I can see."

"Oh, Emma, marry me!" He leaned over with his eyes closed and placed a kiss on her cheek. Well, some one's cheek. His eyes flashed open and he saw Cliff sitting in Emma's old spot staring at him very weirded out.

"Dude…what is your problem?" the very confused Cliff asked. Kai turned a deep shade of red.

Emma leaned over and said to Cliff, "Thanks for switching seats, Cliff." He seemed not to notice as he was still staring at Kai with out a word.

Jack had finished serving his guest their chili and sat down to join them. Emma dug in and smiled when she thought of what actually made this chili taste so good. The other guest seemed to be enjoying it and all one could hear was the clanging of spoons against bowls as everyone filled their pie holes. "Man, Jack, this is good!" Kai said breaking their piggish silence.

"Yeah, you should invite us over more often!" Gray agreed. Cliff nodded as well.

"Aw, thanks guys," Jack said. "Does anyone want more?" All three men shoved their bowls at Jack, who took them to the counter where he refilled them. When dinner was over, Everyone except Emma had eaten two bowls of Jacks marvelous chili. They each sat contented on the couch, except for Emma who was sitting in a dining chair all by her self. She crossed her legs and watched the men, her lips curled in a knowing smile.

"Hey guys lets watch a little…" Kai began talking, but his voice trailed of suddenly. His eyes became wide and he covered his mouth with his hand as he ran out of the house. Gray, Jack, and Cliff, who also seemed to be feeling strange all of a sudden, ran out of the house. Emma could hear them outside and it was obvious that dinner, as tasty as it was, had refused to stay down.

Emma heard some one shout, "Geez, Jack what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Jack protested.

"You obviously did do something 'cause we're all puking!"

"Hey, do you think I wanted this to happen?"

"Well you've only thrown up once. Look at poor Kai!" The sound of more barfing came and Emma sat listening to them talk, disgusted but laughing her head off.

"We are out of here," some one said.

"Hey, wait guys! It wasn't my fault! Don't go," Jack pleaded. His friends ignored him and the farmer entered his house looking dismal.

Emma, who had always been a good actor, gave a look of slight surprise and curiosity. "What did you use in that chili?"

"Very, funny," he said. For once, he actually seemed disheartened. It was too good to be true, Emma thought to herself excitedly. And she was right; Jack smiled a bit and said, "It did taste pretty good."

"That's true," Emma said, now smiling a little along with Jack.

"I should have given Kai a paper bag," he said chuckling a bit. Emma giggled along with him. He was so good natured…Wait, no! Emma almost slapped herself. Happy Jack bad, sad Jack good, Emma reminded herself.

"I know you are probably sick of me by now, but would you like to watch Nun-Zilla III?"

Emma thought for a moment. He was probably just trying to trick her into giving away some of her plans of how to get rid of him or why the chili made everyone but her throw up. Why else would he want to spend his Saturday night with her? On the other hand, (we have five fingers…tee hee! Never mind this), she had always been a fan if Nuns on a crazed rampage, and such could only be captured so perfectly in a Nun-Zilla movie. Besides, as Barley had put it once, Einstein didn't learn his first word until he was three. Wait, what does that have to do with watching a movie with your enemy? What ever.

"Can we have root beer?" she asked.

"Sure."

She smiled broadly and Jack tossed her the tape. She inserted into the VCR while Jack stood against the counter looking for the can of dog food to finally feed his dog. "Hey, Emma, where is that can of dog food? I had it right here…"

Emma simply pushed the play button with a wide, guilty smile across her face.

A/N: You like? Then tell me! And if you like this story, please read my other fic called Forget-me-Not. Nobody reads it, even though I update it, and that makes me sad. I think because it's a sequel, that scared people away. Don't be fooled, all you lazy people needn't feel obliged to read the first one; it really doesn't make much difference. Well, enough about that. It might take me a while before I update because it am having trouble thinking up the rest. Got a bunch of pieces, but the pieces don't fit. Oh well, such is life.

Tootles!


	7. A Festival to Remember

_My gosh it has been a while! I haven't been writing at all lately…bad me! But with a brand new chapter of Hannah who wants to sit here and listen to me babble?_

"Emma?" Emma looked up from the letter she was writing and waited for May to speak. "Will you tell me a story?" the girl asked. After a moment she added "Please?"

Emma sighed and put down her pen as the little girl's eyes lit up. "Alright, May, you can have a story. Have a seat on the couch before Barley gets home." May did as Emma said and waited eagerly as Emma folded the paper she had been writing on, stuffed it in her pocket, and joined her on Barley's couch. Emma thought for a moment then she began.

"Once upon a time there was a handsome man named-"

"Jack," May finished for her. "His name should be Jack."

"Jack? Oh, come on, May, he is not handsome." Emma pretended to gag and May giggled. "And you can hardly call him a man in that fruity apron," she said under her breath.

"Well?" May said.

"Well what?"

"Well, continue the story."

"Okay, okay! I'm thinking.

"Jack, who wasn't _that_ handsome, was poor and terrible at everything he did. Yet he was always happy. He was so happy that everyone hated him. Because he was so disliked, the village sent him as a sacrifice to the incredibly large and ferocious polar bear that had been terrorizing the city and its local residents. Some of the men in the village took Jack to cave of the bear then the polar bear ate him up and never bothered the city again because Jack was so delicious and filling. The end."

May rolled her eyes. "When I asked for you to tell me a story, I meant I wanted you to tell me a good story. Where's the love interest? Where's the rising climax and the conclusion? Where's the freakin' moral?"

"Touchy," Emma said crossing her arms. "And it had a moral." May crossed her arms and gave a 'oh yeah?' sort of look. "Sure…if you are a stupid farmer like Jack, you should always think of others before yourself. And don't do drugs."

"That's stupid. Tell a better story," May demanded. "Make it a good one."

"Okay, lemme just think how Jack dies in this one."

"No! Jack can't die because he is the handsome hero! Let me start. Once upon a time there was a handsome man named Jack. Jack was the apprentice to a black-smith, but he hated the boring life in his village. He knew he was destined for greater things. And those greater things would be?" She said looking at Emma expectantly.

Emma thought for a moment and at last said. "Jack wanted to be a musician and perform for the beautiful Princess. Well, he hadn't actually met her, but his good friend Charles the Songbird would sing on the Princess's window every morning and he said she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, even for a human." May's eyes were lost in the story and Emma could tell she liked this one better. "So Jack went off and bought himself a violin and took it to the palace and requested to play for the Princess and her father, the king. Jack took out his violin and played a song that sounded like cats being run over by two trains that were crashing into each other. The king couldn't stand it so he through poor Jack into the dungeon."

May's smile disappeared into a disapproving frown. She opened her mouth to say something, but Emma held up a finger and May stopped. "But the Princess felt sorry for Jack and came down to the dungeon every day to talk to him. They soon fell in love. When the king heard of this, he was outraged because he didn't want a commoner to marry his daughter. So he told Jack that he had to capture a pig with exactly 43 spots on it. But not just any 43 spotted pig, but one from the royal pig pen that that had no less than 246 pigs, all with spots. And if he didn't catch the pig in twenty minutes, he would have to give his life.

"Now, obviously the princess was quite upset. She didn't want to lose Jack, so that night she invited all her friends over and after they watched Miss Congeniality, they all went to the royal pig pen and painted exactly 43 spots on each one. So the next morning, when Jack caught not one pig that met the standards, but 246, the king had to let the princess marry Jack. Then they spent the rest of the day making out in one of the corridors. The end."

"Much better. I'd give it about a B minus considering you made it up on the spot." May said. "But you didn't say the name of the princess."

"Oh, you want to know her name? It was…"

"Oh, I already know the princess's name," May interrupted, trying to hold back giggles.

"What? What is it?"

"EMMA!" she shouted with a wide grin across her face.

Emma's mouth dropped open and she was at a lost for words. Well, several phrases came into her mind, such as I will kill you if you say that again or Jack is the stupidest, ugliest, guy I have ever met and I hope he shall soon curl up and die, but she seemed to have lost the ability to put words together. May just giggled. Finally, she said "I don't think so. No, I know that is totally wrong. I hate him! I absolutely, positively, undeniably, hate-"

Emma was interrupted as Barley opened the door with a wide grin on his face. "I got lucky at bingo night," he shouted dropping his coat on Emma. "Dr. Pepper anyone? My treat!"

"But it's your house…." Emma stated quietly.

Barley, not paying attention to Emma the slightest bit, sat his old bones down next to Emma on his moldy old couch. "Funny thing, I ran into Jack on the way back here. I swear I heard someone shouting his name, then your name Emma," he said turning to her. "Strange, eh?"

Emma and May exchanged glances. "Yeah, real strange," May said at last.

Emma sat up and headed towards the door. "Guess I better be getting back to the farm before Jack burns the house down. I'd be happy to baby-sit May anytime," She said with a smile as she grabbed her jacket and headed out the door.

As the door closed behind Emma, Barley patted his lap and May took a seat on it. "How's my little girl?" he asked kindly as he put a hand on her back.

"Fine, Grandpa. I had a lot of fun with Emma," she answered with a smile.

"Good, good." He returned her smile.

After a moment May looked at Barley and asked, "Where did Emma come from?"

Barley was silent for some time as he squirmed in his seat until at last he said uncomfortably, "May, when a man and a woman love each other much…"

May rolled her eyes. "No, Grandpa! I mean where she came from. She was just here all of a sudden."

Barley relaxed. "Oh." He thought for a moment then finally said, "I don't know…but I'm sure she doesn't like it nearly as much as here."

"Yes, I think she will be staying here a long time."

&&&&&

Emma felt the cool night air meet her face and wind run through her hair as she walked home down the brick path. She took her time, enjoying the quiet emptiness of the streets. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself to keep away the chill that the wind had brought. She turned behind her and saw through Barley's window that he was sitting on his couch with May on his lap. Emma smiled. It was so gosh darn-

A loud metal crash rang through the streets.

"Damn it!" Emma shouted as she clutched her throbbing head. "When the hell is Jack going to move that mailbox?" She cursed under her breath for a moment, then noticed Jack inside his house and remembered what she was supposed to be doing, which involved being quiet and not swearing at the top of her lungs.

She jumped to the ground and began to crawl as quietly as she could to Jack's front door. She would have walked normally, but she couldn't risk him noticing her through his window. Plus she felt all "commando" when she was doing the army crawl. When she reached his door, she took the letter she had written out of her pocket. It was all crumpled so she flattened it out the best she could before she slipped it under the door and into Jack's house. She rang the door bell, and turned into the dog that had been causing so much trouble (and would be causing more) and after grabbing her clothes in her mouth ducked into the nearest bush.

She was not a moment to soon as Jack stepped out of his house with the letter in his hand just as the tip of her tail followed her into the bush. Jack looked around trying to find out who left the note, but the farm was empty. He shrugged and turned the letter right-side-up and began to read it out loud. "Hey Jack, this note is from Karen. Let's go to the Spring Festival together! As you know, it's tomorrow at 6:00. Meet me there, okay? PS: Don't forget it's a costume party!"

He looked at the not again. "Costume party?" he said with a wide grin. He ran inside and shut the door behind, Emma guessing he had big plans for this "costume party". Hannah jumped out of the bush and shook all the leaves off of her. She wanted to try and get a look at what Jack's costume was going to be, but she decided it would be more fun if it was a surprise.

The dog opened the barn door with her paw and crawled inside. It wasn't late, but she felt tired enough to go to bed. Besides, the sooner she went to bed, the sooner tomorrow would come when she would watch her plan unfold. She rolled onto her back contently and closed her eyes and dreamed of the look on Jack's face when he found out he was the only one who 'remembered' his costume.

&&&&

Emma did the morning chores with such speed and joy, that Jack knew that something was up. But he couldn't seem to get a strait answer out of her. She could always think of replies that answered him enough that he couldn't ask again, but didn't actually tell him anything. At lunch while they sat under a shady tree and ate cucumber sandwiches, he tried again.

"Emma," he began, "you seem so happy today. What's up?" He took another bite of his lunch and waited for her answer, however vague it most likely was.

"I think your bright attitude is rubbing on to me," she answered.

"Seriously, why are you so happy?" Emma is not a happy person. Something is wrong. He wanted to find out, and he wanted to find out now.

"I just know today is a good day," she said as she lay down on her back and closed her eyes. "At least for me…" she added.

Jack let out an irritated sigh. "I guess you just won't tell me what it is making you act so…so not you." He got up and stretched then gathered the plates they had been using. "If you aren't going to tell, then I better get started on those dishes. We need to get a move on on the rest of the chores. We don't want to be late for the festival."

Emma sat up and said with a knowing smirk, "No, we most certainly do not."

At a quarter past six, Jack was late, but not because he had to finish farm chores. He was late because his costume was not too easy to put on in a cramped house with many things to trip on and no one to help him. When he thought he was ready, it turned out he had his whole costume on back wards and he had to redo it. Then his dog stole his wig and he had to chase him all around the farm to get it back. To make a long story short, he might be there a while.

But Emma didn't know that Jack was having wardrobe difficulties and was becoming more anxious as the minutes passed. She stood alone in a long brown skirt and a white shirt looking anxiously at the clock every five seconds.

She seemed to be the only person that was not enjoying the party. Everyone else was talking together, smiling, and eating. Rose Square had been decorated with paper lanterns and brightly colored table cloths, an exciting change from the simple look that usually clung to it. The place was incredibly noisy, not only from enthusiastic voices, but also from the music being blasted out of speakers next to the large stage on one side of the brick area.

Emma was beginning to consider forgetting about Jack. If he was coming, wouldn't he be here already? A sudden rush of panic came over Emma. What if he found out the note was a fake? He didn't say anything to her, but they hadn't really talked much this afternoon. She swallowed the large lump in her throat. Thinking about it wouldn't do any good, she thought. She should do something; perhaps join in one of the noisy conversations.

But Emma missed her chance. The whole party silenced. The crowd was staring and Emma turned to see what it was that had captured the interest of the entire party. Jack stood in the entrance looking very frightened dressed in an amazingly accurate Kabuki costume. His face was painted white with red around his mouth and above his eyes and other parts of his face making him look quite frightening. On his feet were wajari sandals about 5 inches tall. His robe was decorated in a masculine design and tucked into a maroon sash was the scabbard of a fake sword. And on his head he wore a large black wig that made him look three inches taller. It was obvious that he had spent many hours on this costume.

No one spoke for a good minute. Several people coughed, but no one said a word. All were too in aw to do much of anything. Jack's eyes glazed over the crowd until he spotted Karen and he walked over to her with as much confidence as he could manage. The eyes of the crowd followed him waiting to see what would happen.

He coughed then quietly Jack said to Karen "Uh, hey. You want some punch?"

Karen seemed to be having a hard time deciding whether to try and say no politely or just walk away. Or possibly smack him before he touched her. With a confused face that was trying to twist into a smile, she answered "Err, sorry I have to go now. Bye." She turned and left as quickly as she could without it showing that she was trying to get away.

Jack looked back at the audience who tried to act like they hadn't been watching him, but it was obvious they had heard every word of him being ditched by Karen. He tried to make himself smaller and less noticeable, but it was rather difficult with the costume he was wearing. Normally when Jack was embarrassed, he would try to laugh it off, make it seem like it was nothing. But right now he didn't think he could. So instead he left with one look at a blonde haired girl who seemed quite please with herself.

A/N: I got a review from water shard saying make it more fluffy and I know this chapter had little fluff. Don't worry, there will be enough emotion and stuff later to make up for the lack of it now.


	8. A New Friend?

The day after the festival, it was sunny and not a single cloud hung in the sky. All of Jack's animals were happy and healthy and were producing exceptionally high quality products. The crops, which were near harvest, were swelling with vegetables and fruits as if they too knew today were a good day to be alive.

But as happy as the plants and animals were, they were wrong. It was not a good day, at least not for poor Jacky. His house remained locked, even after the sun was completely up (very late in farmer time). His curtains remained close, his windows shut completely so no noise could enter or leave, and the entire house had a look that it was as willing to be open to visitors as Jack was.

Emma wasn't used to doing all the chores by herself, but she would have to be able to if she wanted to run a farm on her own. So she worked without complaint and sooner than she had expected, she had watered the crops, cared for the animals, and cleared the farm of the weeds that had sprouted suspiciously overnight.

It was barely past noon and Emma was exhausted, hungry, and she very much wanted a chew toy (old habits are hard to break). She collapsed on the ground with a sigh and sat with her back resting against the shipping box. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Jack's house. She turned her head and stared at it for a long time. Though she didn't want to admit it, she did feel a tad bit of guilt about what she had done the day before. His face was so pitiful when he walked away. But on the other hand…

"Oh no Missy, you are going to apologize to him."

Emma looked around surprised by the sudden voice she had heard. She was almost convinced she had imagined it when she saw a small version of herself with a halo and wings in white dress sitting on her right shoulder. "Oh, awesome!" Emma said with a grin. "A real shoulder angel! I didn't think you guys existed."

"We prefer the term 'moral guidance counselors'," the mini Emma answered haughtily. "And I am not real, I am simply an image used by the media to symbolize conscience." Emma just looked at her blankly and the angel sighed.

"Hey, if you're a shoulder angel, shouldn't there be a red, what's the word….evil one?" Emma asked.

"That would be a devil, genius." Emma looked at her left shoulder and there was another mini version of her, but this one was wearing a rather sexy red dress complete with red go-go boots. Two horns stuck out of the top of her head.

"You're late," the angel Emma accused. "You might as well not show up at all. It would do the world a whole lot of good."

The devil ignored the comment and turned her attention to Emma. "Emma, you don't have to apologize to him. Just go on, do your thing, ruin his life. You're only hurting one person here, and he stole your farm."

"No, Emma! Tell him you're sorry. You two can still be friends. Do the right thing." Emma looked back at the angel.

The devil started again and she turned her head back. "Hmm..." she said sarcastically in mock confusion, "A dopey farmer for a friend or an entire farm. It is _such_ a hard decision. Beside, I can break-dance."

The angel was about to start again but Emma waved for her to stop. "Both of you shut up for just a sec, I need to think," she shouted, clearly irritated by the two voices buzzing in her ear. Emma crossed her arms clearly at a loss for whom to agree with. "You both bring up good points," she stated.

"Come on Emma, don't give up now," the devil Emma encouraged. "Who are you going to listen to, the frump in a robe or me?" She turned and posed showing her off her curves. "Plus, she," the devil pointed a finger at the Angel, "was evitted from her apartment for streaking in the hallways and setting off the fire alarms."

"That was you who did that!" the angel shouted exasperatedly. "And its not evitted it's _evicted_."

"Yeah, well you would know."

The angel cried out in frustration as Emma and the devil Emma high-fived. The angel was obviously very put out at Emma's decision. She took a deep breath trying to get control of her temper. "Fine," she said bluntly. "Don't do the right thing, see if I care. But when you realize that you could have had a great friend and your life sucks because you are a nasty little girl who only thinks of herself, don't come crying to me." She disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Emma shrugged and turned to her devil self. "Before you go, I have one question. Could I catch you in a bottle than sell you for a very high price to some conspiracy scientist?"

"No because I don't actually exist. Right now it looks like you're having a very lively conversation with your left shoulder. Ta ta."

Emma frowned a bit, but before she could say anything the devil-Emma followed the angel's example and disappeared.

Emma turned and noticed for the first time a girl standing by Jack's mail box watching her. She had orange hair tied back in a messy braid. She reminded Emma of herself, mainly because of her deep blue eyes and overalls. When she noticed Emma looking back at her, her curious expression immediately turned to one of embarrassment and alarm. "Oh my, gosh I'm so sorry. I totally didn't to mean, like, spy on you or anything. I was here delivering a message for Jack and… it's just that, well; you were like having a very lively conversation with your left shoulder. I'm sorry."

Emma stood and took a good look at the girl. She seemed honestly very apologetic. "That's okay, you don't have to apologize. I spy on people all the time."

The girl seemed very relieved at having been forgiven. "Okay, then. I'm Ann, by the way. I work at the inn."

"Pleasure. I'm Emma and I work with Jack." Emma was thankful Ann had come by. She didn't know anyone, except for Jack and Barley and she desperately wanted some new company. Ann seemed nice enough, and she said she worked at the inn. Maybe she could get a free meal.

"So…have you met anyone else in town?"

"Not many people, just Jack and some of his friends."

"Omigod, have you met Kai?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"He is such a freak. Man sometimes I wish I could just pound his face in," Ann said irritably through clenched teeth. Now Emma really liked Ann. As quickly as her rage came, it disappeared and she was the happy bubbly girl again. "Sorry, I have rage issues." She smiled brightly with a shrug. Emma raised her eyebrows at this, but Ann didn't seem to notice.

"You wanna have lunch with me? I can probably get my dad to make something for us. He's the second best cook ever," Ann stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I'm the first." She giggled and Emma joined her with a smile.

So the two girls found themselves sitting together at Doug's Inn with two very large piles of pasta topped with a thick sauce in front of them. Ann was very chatty in that gossipy girl sort of way, but Emma felt sort of quiet and thoughtful. That is until Ann lead the rather one sided conversation to a more interesting topic.

"So what do you think of the guys in Mineral Town? Anyone you have a secret crush on?" Ann asked stretching out the word secret so it sounded more like seeeeecret instead. She had her elbow propped up on the table with her head chin resting in her hand and her big eyes staring intently at Emma. Emma noticed Ann blinked more than most people.

Emma was at first by the suddenness of Ann's question. "Uh, no."

"Oh come, you have to admit Cliff is hot."

"I guess so," Emma answered sort of indifferently.

"But hands off Gray. He's mine. We've been going out for almost a month. I think our relationship is going out really great."

"Gray? You and _Gray_?" Emma hadn't talked to Gray much but he didn't really seem Ann's type. He was cute, and his big eyes did match Ann's, but he was more than a tad on the socially awkward side. That's love for you, Emma thought to herself with a small shrug.

"Hey, what do you know? Here is now!" Ann sat up straight and called out to Gray. He noticed her and changed his course for their table. Ann gave him a broad smile. But Gray's face seemed to be the exact opposite of hers. He face looked awkward and dreading and his eyes kept to the floor unable to meet those of his girl friend.

"Um, Ann…." He said at last. His voice was small and cautious as though he was afraid that if he said the wrong words, a bomb would go off. With an expectant look, Ann waited patiently for what he was going to say. "We need to talk. I don't think our relationship is going that great."

The pleasant smile on Ann's eager face faded abruptly. Her jaw dropped slightly and she left it open for a long time at a loss of words. Finally the silence was broken. "Are you breaking up with me!"

"It's just that…"

"How can you break up with me!" Ann shouted cutting Gray off. Gray seemed to be preparing for Ann's inevitable slap and closed his eyes and cringed. When the slap did not come and he saw Ann staring at him intense with rage, breathing very heavily with gritted teeth, he realized he had chosen the wrong words and the bomb was going to go off.

Emma soon realized that when Ann said that she had some rage issues, this was a serious understatement. Of course, it is rather hard to describe casually Ann's situation. Her pupils seemed to suddenly grow larger and her muscles bulged. Her whole body grew creating tears in her clothes and her skin turned a green color. Yes: Ann had become a She-Hulk.

"ANN MAD!" she cried out. With grunt, she seized a nearby table and flung across the room. "GRAY MUST DIE!" Gray had at first seemed a little confused at the whole ordeal, but he understood this very clearly. With a panic stricken look, he opened a door, ran inside and locked the door behind him.

Gray was in a storage area with barrels of various food products aligned on the wall. Doug sat on a barrel reading a magazine. He looked up. "Hey, employees only," he said stuffing the magazine in his back pocket and crossing his arms.

"Sir, your daughter is about to rip off my head with her bare hands."

Doug just gave him a fierce, manly look and pointed to a sign on the door that read 'employees only'.

"But…"

"Eh, eh, eh. Sign."

"Sir,"

"Sign."

"Sir, she's going to kill me."

"Take it like a man," Doug bellowed. "In my day men your age would be bouncing off the walls to wrestle bears. Only three got the chance, and they were the ones who could eat the most live scorpions with out passing out from the poison. The winners then slept on nails for a week, and then set out into the wilderness to go find the largest, oldest, craziest most aggressive bear imaginable. The rest of the men were usually cursed with a week of indigestion or diarrhea."

Gray was silent for a moment. "Uh…yeah. I really didn't need to hear that last part."

"And we didn't have toilet paper back then, so we had to make do with poison-"

"Okay," Gray interrupted loudly. "I'll just be on my way out…"

Back outside, the mayhem had died down and Ann was her normal self again asleep on the floor I a pile of tattered clothes. Emma was going to try and wake her up, but that didn't seem like such a great idea. Cliff had come downstairs and offered to carry Ann back up to her room. Emma smirked. If Ann woke up during the trip up to her bedroom, she would have a very lovely surprise holding her.

The Inn was empty now except for Emma and Gray, (people don't tend to stick around when there is a green monster destroying everything she comes into contact with.) The room was an utter mess: broken glasses and plates, tables smashed against walls, and food splattered everywhere. Several support beams had been broken and sawdust littered the ground.

"Alright, I think its de-caff for Ann from now on," Emma joked. Gray smiled a bit, but it faded and his expression took on one of amazed curiosity at the destruction of the room. Gray looked back at her. At a loss for words, she simply shrugged, took a broom out of a supplies closet and handed it to Gray. She patted his shoulder encouragingly and gave him a slight nod and a face that seemed to say "good luck at this hopeless task that you will never ever be able to handle all by yourself but I have no intention of helping you." Underneath that face, Gray knew, Emma was hiding one that said "ha ha, sucks for you, loser." Gray just heaved a sigh a snatched the broom with a peeved expression.

Emma grabbed her sweater that she had brought and tied it around her waist. She stepped out of the inn and slowly closed the door. But before she did, she was sure that she heard Doug enter the main room and offer to tell Gray about his child hood. The poor poor socially inept black smith's apprentice.


	9. The Note Book

As far as Disney characters go, Jack felt he identified with John Smith most, mainly because, like John Smith, he wanted to discover new places and had an interest in Native American women. His second choice would be Snow White, not only because he trusted easily and felt there was good in everyone, but because Jack also felt he shared a deep connection with nature. Like Snow White, he felt at home in gardens and in forests, anywhere he could be alone to take in and observe things. He didn't, however, desire to have a prince in his life, nor did he feel the need to express this desire through song.

Jack had always been that way. Not the singing part, the in touch with nature part. It was just the way he was. Everyone thought of him as the outgoing social type, but in truth, he found himself most content just watching life go on around him and sketching or writing about what he saw in his notebook. He kept his notebook hidden, sure that his masculinity would be in question if any of the guys ever discovered he recorded his feelings, or even had them in the first place. But when no one was around that would care, he took it out and would make a note of something he found interesting.

For Jack 'interesting' was something that looked one way, but if one thought about it enough it turned out to be completely different. He sketched things that most people found weird or gross because he was able to look at them and see them in a beautiful way. Right now for Jack 'interesting' was Emma.

Jack sat in the only tree on his property. It gave him a nice panorama of his farm, and it had a large branch shaped perfectly for sitting. This was his favorite place to relax and be alone. After the beehive had been removed, that is.

From his spot in the tree Jack found himself watching Emma again. He had fallen into the habit of doing so almost every other day. It wasn't because he found her attractive, or at least he didn't think it was. He enjoyed watching her because he could not understand her at all. Everything she did, everything about her was one mystery after the next. They way she was so stubborn and rude, yet sometimes she was incredibly sweet. Never to him, but, you know, maybe with other people.

Like right now. Emma, Ann, and Mary were playing in the crisp, golden leaves that had fallen over night and he had so carefully raked into three neat piles sorted by color. The piles were no longer neat. Nor were there three of them. In fact, at this point they really weren't piles; they were scattered about or in small clumps that had been smashed under the weight of three girls.

They giggled and shrieked with giddy laughter as they tossed the leaves about. Mary tripped and Emma helped her to her feet and brushed the leaves off her. Jack made note of this. He wrote 'For a rare moment I am witnessing a happy, friendly Emma. She looks beautiful.' He erased the last line.

Jack watched the three girls for a little while longer, jotting down his thoughts and making rough sketches of the scene that he would finish later. In the time he was up there in his tree, he decided that Ann's Disney persona was the Little Mermaid. She was happy, but still longed to see a new world and had the guts enough to try and get there. Also, she looked like the kind of girl that would talk to crabs and fish and seagulls. Mary was Belle but not hot. And Emma….Jack thought for a moment. Emma was the beast.

&&&

"I wear my sunglasses at night so I can, so I can, watch you weave and breathe your story lines." Emma didn't sing very well, but she was enjoying herself nonetheless as she sat bobbing her head to her own beat as she sang 'Sunglasses at Night'. It seemed appropriate since she was wearing sunglasses, and it was night.

Emma practiced removing her sunglasses like they do on TV. She had nothing better to do as she sat on Jack's couch waiting for Ann to come get her so they could have a night out on the town. Not that Mineral Town had a very happening nightlife, but many people would visit the Inn during happy hour as the quaint town had a surprising number of alcoholics. Ann and her planned on doing the same.

When Jack left a half hour ago Emma had thought she would enjoy hanging out by herself for a while as she waited for Ann. But now she realized that being alone was rather dull. It didn't take as long as she thought to master the sunglasses removal technique, and now as she sat with nothing to do her eyes wandered around Jack's one room home.

The wood walls held dozens of framed photos, which added to the cluttered look of the house. Jack was a fairly neat house cleaner, but he still had too many books, knick knacks, tools, papers, and office supply for the size of his bachelor pad and it was in a constant disordered state. Emma couldn't deny she felt at home.

Emma's nose suddenly twitched. Her body straitened instinctively as she concentrated on the faint aroma that grazed her nostrils. It couldn't be… She sniffed again. It was! Rawhide! She dropped on her hands and knees. The hunt was on. It was definitely on the ground somewhere, probably buried under all of Jacks crap. Why did he have so much crap, so much odorous crap interfering with her delicate sense of smell?

With deep concentration she managed to trace the scent which led her to underneath Jack's bed. She bent down to find her treasure. Sure enough there was a large bone with her name on it, figuratively speaking. The bone in actuality had Jack's dog's name on it engraved on one side. Emma took it anyways as she wasn't really big on asking for permission, especially not from 'Jack Jr.'

Jack Jr. didn't care much about proper bone maintenance. There were mysterious spots of something caked on, and dried slobber had turned it the same kind of yellow that you see on the walls of trailers belonging to ladies who go through five packs of Marlboro a day and own about 12 cats. There were several hairs on it. But that's the kind of thing a person would think when they looked at it. Emma had no such thoughts as she shoved one end in her mouth and began gnawing on it contentedly. It was about a foot long and a good five pound so she was having a difficult time fitting the entire end in her mouth. Finally she found a way to fit it so she could still chew or hold on to it with her jaw. She began zoning out to the rhythm of her moving jaws like an infant being rocked to sleep. It took her a minute or two to notice that there was a book peeking out from underneath the bed.

Emma grinned as she threw open the cover. There was a date written at the top of every other page or so, and a quick scribbled writing she assumed was the hand of Jack. Then it dawned on her. This wasn't just any book. This was Jack's diary. She immediately glued her eyes to the page, reading as much as she could as quickly as possible. She began chewing harder on her bone in anticipation.

"Aug. 19th

_Today was a hard day for me. I couldn't stop feeling bad for myself for some reason. Is it possible for a man to PMS? I get so frustrated, but I bottle it all up. I can't tell anyone how I feel. I'm so lost right now. I wish there was some way I new what my purpose in life is."_

Emma rolled her eyes. "God, what kind of man writes about his feelings? What a pansy." His masculinity was definitely in question. The next page had a picture of some girl from town. Emma had only seen her a couple times, but she seemed nice enough.

"Aug. 21st

_I think I have a crush on Karen. She is nice, sweet, and most importantly HOTT! Sometimes when she bends over, I can see the lace of her black panties; very sexy. Not that I was looking for them but, you know, if they're there why not enjoy the sights? I'm pretty sure she likes me back, but I don't know I guess I'll just wait and see what happens."_

Emma looked at the picture of Karen again, her eyes narrowed. What a slut.

Emma skipped forward into the book. Skimming over it, her eyes suddenly went round as she spotted her name. Emma. It seemed to jump out of the page. She immediately began reading the entry.

"_I don't know what to think of her. Emma I mean. She is so-"_

"Emma!" Ann shouted as she barged through the door. Emma slammed the book shut trying to look inconspicuous, but this failed miserably as she still had a bone in her mouth. Ann stared for a moment and Emma stared back, both their faces in utter surprise. Then, as though nothing had happened Ann smiled as she asked "Are you all ready to go?" Emma removed it, surprised that Ann seemed to truly not care that she had a rawhide bone in her mouth. She put the book back under the bed trying to pretend it didn't happen, but for some reason she couldn't quite stop wondering about what Jack was going to say.

Emma followed Ann into the Inn which was packed as usual. Emma assumed this was because the only thing to do in Mineral town was get hammered. Even Mary, the timid librarian, held a large pint and was sitting on Gray's lap ready to topple over at any moment. Emma quickly averted her gaze as this scene gave her strange ideas about Mary's spare time. Gray seemed to like it, though.

Emma realized that there was no one working at the inn right now. She turned to Ann and asked, "Isn't someone supposed to be tending the bar?"

"Oh that's my job." Then she walked away and slid into a booth with Cliff, Jack, and Karen. Ann didn't seem to care too much about her career as a bar tender. She noticed that Ann hadn't completely forgotten about her responsibilities; a cardboard cut out of Jackie Chan, which had been living in the dumpster of the video store and smelled accordingly, stood behind the bar. To complete the illusion, Ann had hung an apron around its neck and added an employee name tag. No one seemed to care because the cutout was probably more skilled at the job then Ann. Neither contributed much, but at least Jackie didn't cause damage.

Emma tried to push her way through to the booth to join them, but she didn't get far before she ran into the first disappointment the night would hold for her.

Kai looked her over from head to toe. "Tu looko el hott-o en la noche."

"Whoa, you speak two languages: Dork and Idiot."

"I've been working on my Spanish skills. See I've read that a Spanish tongue makes one irresistible to the opposite sex.

Emma sighed unimpressed. "My how cultural."

"Thank you," Kai replied not detecting the bored tone in Emma's voice. "So, is it working? I mean, am I irresistible now?"

"Oh yes, Kai. That one almost incomprehensible sentence that darted in and out of Spanish and Kai-ese completely swept me off my feet," Emma said, the entire sentence heavy with sarcasm.

"Really? Well, I also know how to ask where the library is!" As Kai grew more excited with success, Emma regretted that she hadn't simply answered 'no'.

Kai grabbed Emma's hand and dragged her to the counter. "Sit down, I'll order us some drinks," he told her, oblivious to the fact that the only "worker" was two dimensional. "I'll have an appletini, and a scotch for the lady," he informed Jackie Chan with a quick wink towards Emma who sat in apathetic silence. "Buy your self something nice," he added to the cutout as he flicked a quarter at it which simply fell to the ground.

Kai joined Emma and tried to think of something witty and impressive, but before he could come up with anything that didn't involve her breasts, he realized that the bartender hadn't moved. "Hey look Jackie Chan, we'd like our drinks today maybe?" Kai said annoyed at the lack of service. When the cutout still didn't make any attempt at getting a drink, Kai stood up to his full height and bellowed "Excuse me, but I'd appreciate if wouldn't stare at us like that!" The cutout remained silent and Kai, at the height of his frustration, hurled a fist at its face. Slowly, it toppled over backwards and stared blankly at the ceiling. If the cutout could feel anything, it would probably be shame at being the only thing Kai had ever defeated.

"Did you see that Emma?" Kai shouted excitedly.

"Oh sure," she answered. Truthfully, Emma hadn't been watching. She had been trying to signal Ann to come over and help get her out of here. Ann had noticed Emma's motions, but simply waved back and turned back to what she was doing. Suddenly Emma realized someone else had picked up on her signals.

"Hey Kai," Jack said to his friend as he pushed forward a bubbly pink haired girl. "Have you met Popuri yet?"

Kai's eyes lit up, probably because Popuri's chest was nearly bursting out of her black corset and white blouse. "Why hello," he said, putting on the moves.

"Hi! Want to dance with me?" Popuri answered about ready to explode with excitement. As the two left hand in hand Emma wondered if Kai was out of her hair for good.

Emma's mind abandoned all thoughts of Kai, however, when she realized she was more or less alone with Jack. She was dying to ask why he had come over with Popuri. It could have easily been because he just wanted to introduce her to Kai, but somehow Emma couldn't stop wondering if he had come to rescue her, or was even using this as an opportunity to talk to her. Why he would do this she had no clue, but there didn't seem to be a way to ask.

Jack broke the silence. "I'm sorry Kai latches on to you like that," he said. "Something about you he finds really attractive."

"Well, I think I've been replaced for now. I mean its hard to compete with someone with such big jugs." Emma said grabbing a handful of nuts from the bar counter as Jack blushed awkwardly. Changing the topic, Emma asked "Having a good time?"

"Oh, yeah I guess so. I don't really like to drink much. Milking cows and hangovers don't mix, trust me." He gave a small grin. "So how about you? Or is this place not cool enough for Emma?"

"The few minutes that I've been here not talking to Kai have been great," she answered with the joking look she used most often with Jack. "Thank you, by the way," she added, avoiding looking at him.

Jack crossed his arms and leaned towards her, a somewhat devious smile painted on his face. "I think I deserve a reward for my kind and noble deed. Don't you think Emma?" Her eyes darted up at him suspiciously.

"What kind of reward?"

"Dance with me."

Emma was caught off guard. She hadn't expected anything like this. Buying him a beer was really all she had thought when he asked for a reward. But this…this brought a sudden feeling of excited queasiness in her stomach.

"No, I don't think so," Emma said nodding.

"Come on, how many times does a guy rescue you from another guy out of the goodness of his heart?"

"And the one time it happens, it's the guy who is trying to get away with stealing my farm. How's that for being born under a bad sign?"

"Look, you can hate me all you want tomorrow. Just for one night though, can't you at least pretend to enjoy yourself?"

"I must be drunker than I thought," Emma muttered under her breath as she let Jack take her hand and lead her onto the dance floor. A slow, passionate love song was being played now that described swallowing tears and hearts shining together as one. Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes as she looked at the other couples sharing holding each other close, heads resting on their partners shoulders, sharing this 'beautiful moment'.

Jack slowly brought his arms around Emma as she wrapped hers around his neck. He gripped her and pulled her in. Emma realized she had never been this close to him before. The smell of a combination of cotton and male deodorant had never been so strong in her nose. Awkwardly, they swayed gently to the music moving about as much as a stationary elephant on a windy day.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Emma asked as she angled her neck up in attempt to meet Jack's eyes, despite the height difference.

"I'm just enjoying this momentous occasion," he answered.

"I know, it's pretty crazy. I think you should make note of this in you diary." Jack stopped moving abruptly, his face wide in alarm.

"You saw my diary?! You didn't read it did you?!?"

"No, I just saw it there under your bed," Emma lied.

Jack's face relaxed as did his grip on Emma's waist. "Oh, ok then. I should really find a better place for that. That journal is so important to me. I've had it since I started work on the farm, and anything important that has ever happened to me I've written down in it. Not only that but almost all of my best sketches are in there too. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to those sketches."

"Huh," Emma said.

There was a moment of silence before Jack smiled and said "You're so tense, Emma. I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable."

In truth he was making her very uncomfortable. In fact, this was beyond uncomfortable. Uncomfortable had been the first moment she grazed his warm calloused hand. "No, I'm fine," Emma answered. She wondered how the same song could still be playing when it seemed like they had been dancing for ten minutes.

Jack didn't seem to realize exactly how uncomfortable he was making Emma feel and he gripped her tighter. She felt her muscles clench, but at last she gave in and gently rested her head against him listening to his heart beat in awkward step with her own. It felt, though she hated to admit it, good.

At last the song ended, though Emma did not realize it at first. As Jack gently let go of her and the tight grasp they had shared faded, Emma felt as though she had awoken from a now very distant dream. Sounds of people and clattering of glasses now flowed into her ears which seemed to have been deaf to them moments ago. Jack's voice brought her back to reality completely.

"You're a good dancer, you know. You only stepped on my foot twice," he said jokingly.

"Well your feet are so dang huge. It's not my fault you're part sasquatch." she said looking down at his feet. She let out a small chuckle. Jack joined in with a booming laugh which Emma couldn't help but match. She hadn't said anything that funny, but it felt right anyways and laughter kept coming. When it had finally died down Emma asked, "Why didn't you say anything when I crushed your foot?"

"I thought I should take it like a man. Besides, you looked so peaceful with your head resting there on me I didn't want to bother you."

Emma's face flushed red. "I-I-I wasn't peaceful!" she stammered. Jack simply laughed.

"My mistake then," he said as he gently put a hand on her back and ushered her back to the bar.

Emma stopped suddenly. "I have to pee," she announced.

"Um, congratulations?" Jack replied as she backed away to the rest room. As she walked away, Emma thought about the night. She was actually having a very nice time. Perhaps Jack wasn't a complete douche bag after all.

When she returned Emma thought of a hilarious joke to tell Jack and she anxiously scanned the room looking for him. When her eyes locked onto him, her heart sank. He wasn't alone anymore waiting for her. He was dancing with Karen. Somehow just that didn't bother her that much. It was when Karen said something and Jack let out his laugh that Emma thought he used only with her. Now it wasn't special. And apparently to Jack, neither was she. As she turned to leave, her eyes began to shine with tears.

&&&

Emma stood on Mt. Moon, gazing with narrowed eyes at the large drop below. _That bastard,_ she repeated in her mind. Maybe if she had given it some time, she would have forgiven Jack for acting like he cared about her. After all, she knew she didn't care about him. But now it was too late, for she had already flung his journal as hard she could down the side of Mt. Moon, and watched it disappear forever into the darkness below.


	10. Something like Regret

Barley picked up a clump of blonde hair off his couch and tossed it into his waste basket with a small flick of his wrist. "Emma, do you ever brush your hair?" he asked disgusted.

"Uh, no," she replied as though that had been a joke. She hadn't brushed her hair since the summer of '96.

"Well, I would appreciate it if you would start. You happen to be shedding all over my couch."

Emma simply yawned and stretched her legs out on the couch as far as she could without knocking Barley, who was sitting on the other end, off. "Don't worry; its winter now so I should stop shedding so much."

Then Barley began a long speech of how, unlike animals, humans tend to lose hair all year round and then went on about something else but Emma wasn't really listening. Her mind was on other things. On Jack.

After she had come to her senses and realized that Jack was only wooing her over so she would give up trying to get her farm, Emma concentrated all her energy on her original goal. And now she had ruined his life, or at least made everyone hate him. Her list -which was now so crumpled and bent, it looked like it would disintegrate any moment- had been completed. Yet he stayed. He stayed to spite her, she believed; to show her that he couldn't be beaten so easily. Jack, after all, was a clever and rather manipulative man.

For example, last week, Jack had slipped into their conversation that he needed to fill a large shipment of ore and had to go mining. Immediately Emma offered to help. He simply smiled and told her that he didn't think she should come because it was very difficult work and he wasn't sure she could handle it.

"What?!" she cried, her hands on her hips.

"That's right; I don't think you would be able to do it." He smirked.

"All right buddy, you are so on. Let's see whose mined the most when the days over." Jack agreed, obviously amused in her defiance.

They went to the mine and began their work. Emma found that Jack was right, it wasn't easy work. By the end of the day her arms were sore from the weight of the hammer, and her face and hands were covered in dirt and grime. But that didn't matter, she was going to win. She had to beat Jack…had to keep going. Ugh, she felt like she was going to faint right there leaning against the cool walls of the cave.

"I think that's enough for today, Emma. I don't want you to collapse out here," Jack said as he helped her to her feet. They looked at their baskets. Emma's was over flowing. Jack's was just over half full.

"Ha, I win" she said as lively as she could with out toppling over in fatigue. She went to pick up her basket, but found it far too heavy to lift.

"I guess you showed me," Jack replied simply. He moved Emma aside and picked up both baskets and left the cave, smirking over his shoulder at Emma. After a moment when Emma thought he had left, Jack stuck his head back in his face full of guilt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to go this far." Then he left.

Emma's moment of glory faded abruptly. What did that mean? Emma thought for a moment, and then it all seemed clear. How could she have won when he could lift both baskets, and she couldn't lift one? He had let her win. Jack knew that if he told her he thought she couldn't do it, she would work as hard as possible. He set it up and she fell right into it! She felt her cheeks turn hot and red in embarrassment and anger and all she could do was utter "damn it" as she made her way home.

"Emma, are you listening?" Barley asked her.

"Oh, sure," she said still gazing out the window lost in fantasy.

She watched a single withered leaf twirl down to the earth outside Barley's window. With that small death the cycle of the seasons pulled forward into winter. Emma shivered feeling the coming season already. At last she looked back at Barley. "He still isn't leaving."

Barley rolled his eyes exasperated. "Emma," he began, "can you please forget about him? Haven't you tortured him enough?"

"Obviously not or he'd be gone by now," she answered. She pulled on her grey-blue turtle neck to keep it from climbing up her warm stomach as she stretched. "I embarrassed him in front of everyone, spread rumors that he watches porn in his spare time, framed him for stealing from the poultry farm"-

Barley slammed his tea glass on the end table that stood by his couch. "That is enough!" he shouted cutting her off in an uncharacteristically stern manner. "It's been months now and never have I butted in. But I just can't let this go on any more." His eyes hardened though they did not meet Emma's. "He doesn't deserve any of it." Finally he looked up at Emma, his old wrinkled face look tightened and harsh. "You are a bad girl Emma, a very bad girl."

"_Bad?!_ Barley! Aren't you on my side? Don't you understand?" Emma cried out desperately. Barley simply shook his slowly, still staring her down making her feel incredibly small and worthless.

Finally, Barley spoke. "Get out of my house, Emma." His eyes could no longer hold her gaze, but instead stared downward. "Please Emma, just go." The pleading tone in his voice stung Emma most painfully.

For once her stubbornness and resisting spirit died and, heart broken and lost for words, Emma did as she was told.

&&&

Emma stumbled onto Morningside Farm dazed and tired. She found that Barley's outburst had done more to her than she would have thought. Instead of simply feeling bad for upsetting him, she also felt confused. Before she had never questioned her actions; she had never had to be reassured that she was doing what was best. But now she had to search very carefully what she had done for whether it was the right thing to do or not, turn it over again and again in her mind wondering if there was any reason for it at all.

Jack noticed Emma and ran to her immediately. Her eyes glazed over him like they weren't looking at him at all, but instead looking backwards into her brain lost in some thought he could never understand. "Emma," he said to her. He moved closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder for support incase she toppled over. "Are you all right? You haven't been drinking have you?" Jack asked.

Emma paused a moment before shaking her head no. That was a lie. She had gone to the inn when she left Barley's house and she was now practically drowning in sake. She was surprised she had even made it home. The corners of her mouth curled down into a small frown as she stared at the ground. Finally she looked at Jack as though realizing his presence for the first time. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead let out a sigh. She shook away from Jack and ran to the barn leaving him alone to wonder what on Earth had gotten into her.

The ground felt cold as she laid herself down against it. Emma patted the dirt floor of the barn and smoothed the palm of her hand along it as if waiting for it to do something. She was deep in thought, or rather trying very hard to think with a mind clouded with alcohol. That is until she heard two voices outside, and one that mentioned her name.

&&&

Zack was pleasant enough, but lately he had been a bit hard on Jack because of the decrease in Jack's products. Today he greeted the farmer with a hello, calling out in his loud voice. Large and tan, Jack suspected the man of being a body builder in his past lifetime.

"Got something for me to take to town?" he said as he patted the shipment box making the wood shake.

"Of course," Jack answered good-naturedly. "It's been easier now that I have help."

Zack thought for a moment trying to think of what he meant. "Oh, the girl. Yeah I've seen her around from time to time. Emma, right? She's a sweet heart. Cute too."

"Err, yeah." Then Jack stopped, realizing what he had just agreed with. "Wait, no she isn't. Not at all."

"You don't think she's cute?" Zack asked him.

"No, I mean-"

"Jack, she's a knock out, what are you talking about?"

"Yes she's cute, no she's not sweet at all," Jack almost shouted in exasperation.

Zack furrowed his brow. "Really? She always helps me when ever I come by. And she's very friendly too. She probably just doesn't like you. Now that's something new, eh Jack?"

It was. Jack wasn't used to being disliked. He knew Emma hated him already, but he had always thought she was rude to other people too. It just seemed like that was her nature. But now, the way Zack had said it, it seemed she was sweet to everyone but him. And that, that was certainly something new.

&&&

Emma crept closer to the barn door. She cracked it open just enough for her to see out and hear what was being said. She saw Zack and Jack standing around talking very seriously.

"But I'm still confused" Zack said to Jack. "You really can't afford to pay her, can you? I mean she is a great kid, but honestly how can you manage?" Zack asked.

"You don't understand. If I fire Emma, she will have no where to go and no money at all. I couldn't do that to her, I promised I would give her a job. I know she is rude to me and is trying to steal my farm but…"

"Jack, listen to me. The farm is losing money. You're animals are sick and your crops aren't looking too good either. I don't know if it is the Harvest Goddess punishing you or just bad farming, but you can barely afford to take care of yourself, let alone pay for someone else too. You have to let her go."

Jack lowered his head and said sternly, "I don't even consider it an option."

"Well, alright. But I hope she realizes what you are doing for her," Zack replied as he heaved the bag of goods over his broad shoulder and headed out the farm gate.

"Good bye to you too," Jack called after him with a wave, which Zack returned with a smile.

Jack stood there for a moment watching Zack disappear into the distance. He noticed small flakes of snow gathering on him; the first snow of winter. Suddenly, he heard the sound of sniffling, and Emma pushed passed him and disappeared into the woods. Jack immediately ran after her, calling out her name in a desperate attempt to stop her.

Jack followed her to the peak at Mt. Moon. The grass was dusted with a small amount of snow and the trees seemed to shiver against the wind.

"Emma, what's wrong? What has gotten in to you?" Jack asked. He took a step towards her, but she in turn took a step back shaking her head. "You can tell me." Jack tried his best to give her a trustworthy look, but she continued to retreat as he advanced towards her.

Finally she gazed at him as though she wanted to say something of the deepest importance, but Emma missed her moment to speak. The only sound that escaped her mouth was a piercing shriek that rang in Jack's ears as her body disappeared over the side of the cliff. His own body reacted immediately without thought. He plunged forward without thought of the height of the peak. He leapt without thought of the speed at which he and Emma would plummet to the ground. And he held the hand of the descending girl without thought of what would await them as he followed her into darkness.


End file.
